Raising Lazarus - Part I

I’m sitting here thinking about the incident where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. We’re studying John 11 in our Sunday School class tomorrow and I’m wondering what needs to be emphasized from a passage that is so familiar. This incident involves a “certain” man from Bethany who was sick. The Bible claims that this is a true story. There was a certain man who became sick and then died. Jesus called that same man back to life again. The blind man had said, “I once was blind. Now I see.” This man will be able to say, “I once was dead. Now I live.”

When the sisters sent for Jesus they told him that the one he “loved” was sick. This kind of love is the word phileo or brotherly love. This is the kind of love that shows tender affection and kindness. Jesus had a tender love for this man.

Jesus’ response is interesting because He tells them that this sickness is not unto death, but rather is for the glory of God that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Shouldn’t this be the case in all of our trials? Our ultimate purpose in life is to bring glory to God. We say that so glibly and yet it is true. Therefore, when we are sick or going through some other trial it is so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. It may not involve a miracle of the level of raising someone from the dead, but it may be a demonstration of God’s tremendous grace at work in our lives showing those around that we have His peace and His joy even though the circumstance itself may be hard.